


Brilliant Professor Byleth

by DarkestKnightEntertainment



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Male My Unit | Byleth, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Spoilers for Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Spoilers for Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Spoilers for practically everything important, simping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:28:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29849136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkestKnightEntertainment/pseuds/DarkestKnightEntertainment
Summary: "So you really have no idea how this whole teaching thing is supposed to work, do you?""Not a one, Sothis."A professor with no teaching credentials or social skills teaching future leaders of a country how to person? What could possibly go wrong?
Kudos: 14





	1. Great Tree Moon: 4/25

**25th of the Great Tree Moon, Year 1180- Garreg Mach Monastery- Library- Early Morning**

"So you really have no idea how this whole teaching thing is supposed to work, do you?"

"Not a one, Sothis."

"Then why did you accept the position?"

The tealette shrugged and turned back to his reading.

"Hey! Don't ignore me! Byleth!"

"..."

Sothis puffed her cheeks and stared hard at the blue-haired man, soon relenting and deciding to peer over his shoulder.

"What are you even reading?"

Without even skipping a beat, Byleth responded, "' _Professorship, Authority, and Otherwise Necessary Skills to Hone in a Position of Power'_ by B.L. Rensie."

Sothis's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Well, that's an oddly convenient tome to just find lying around."

"I didn't find it. I own it."

"And wherever did you happen to acquire it?"

"An Anna in Edmund gave it to me."

It was during one of his first solo contracts several years before; he was only around fourteen. A minor lord had sent out a call for assistance in quelling an uprising, and Jeralt's mercenary company had set out to lend a few blades and replenish some funds.

Unfortunately, while en route, the company had come across a scourge of poachers making trouble for a small hunting village in the county of Gloucester.

Jeralt and a number of the main force stayed and assisted, while Byleth took a smaller contingent and continued on to Edmund.

Long story short, several days later, after going on a walk through town to ignore the hushed whispers of the words 'Demon', 'Inhuman', and many variations in between, he ran into a red-headed merchant.

An Anna. One of many, if the stories were to be believed.

She foisted the heavy tome upon him and left with nary a word while carrying an even heavier sack of what the boy assumed to be gold.

"I didn't think I'd need it, but I didn't want to throw it away."

"And as fortune would have it, you need it at this moment..." Sothis yawned, "Well-kept be the hand of fate, I suppose."

Byleth chose not to comment, instead focusing on a section regarding camaraderie between his charges and himself.

Sothis yawned once more before closing her eyes and fading away.

" _Don't be afraid to let yourself grow comfortable with your charges. You'll likely be spending a lot of time with them, and it's best that you allow yourself the opportunity to get to know them better. Their strengths, their weaknesses, their dreams and ambitions, those are up to you to find out. Help them utilize their strengths, teach them to overcome their weaknesses, and protect them as they reach for their dreams and ambitions. Though don't be afraid to lay down the law if needed. If you're soft spoken, consider raising your voice occasionally."_

"I see…"

_Ding!_

_Dong-Dong Ding-Dong!_

Without a word, the tealette closed the book he was reading with a heavy _Thump!_ and started walking.

He passed by the captain's quarters where his father Jeralt sat at his desk. The older man offered him a nod, which he returned.

Next he passed the Archbishop's Chamber where his new employer, Lady Rhea, sent him what he assumed to be a matronly smile.

He offered back a small wave and turned left, making his way towards the stairs and narrowly avoiding the looming figure of Seteth. The green-haired man was technically his superior, so he offered a brief 'hello' and received a curt response in turn.

Byleth was hardly knowledgeable when it came to interpersonal communication, seeing as he had yet to make a friend in his twenty years of life, but something about that interaction told him that Seteth didn't exactly like him.

Deciding to think on that topic at a later date, he continued down the stairs and made a turn before crossing a grassy courtyard.

He could hear the sound of light chatter in the room before him, mixing with the small flutters of the banners to the sides of the close doors.

He took a deep breath in, grabbing the handles of b, and with a brief exhale, he pushed.

* * *

**Class… is in session!**

* * *

**Garreg Mach Monastery- Officer's Academy- Morning**

_SLAM!_

The doors flew open and hit the walls to the side with a harsh slam.

He had pushed them too hard and startled at least half of his new class, the most drastic case being a poor young lady who was cowering under a desk.

Byleth had never felt embarrassed before, but according to a different section of B.L. Rensie's book, the heat in his cheeks certainly had to be related to an emotion like that.

Clearing his throat and softly closing the doors behind him, taking a little longer than he needed so as to let the warmth in his face fade just a bit, the new professor turned back to see most of the class, sans the purple-haired teen who he had startled, the white-haired young lady who was attempting to coax her from her hiding place, and the young man with forest green hair who had seemingly ignored the harsh sound in favor of napping.

_We may need to work on that._

"So _you're_ our new professor?"

It was a simple question from a short young man with blue hair much lighter than Byleth's own.

_Caspar, that's his name… I think._

"Oh, well this is a nice surprise. A nice- _looking_ surprise too."

_I think she introduced herself as-_

"Dorothea, please show some decorum. This is our professor, hand-picked by the Archbishop herself. He's not some piece of meat at the market."

_And that's Ferdinand Von Aegir._

"Oh hush, Ferdie. It's just an innocent little comment. Though now that you mention it, he _does_ look rather delectable."

"I do not understand. What is so de-lect-able about our teacher? He is not food or even covered in food. I also do not understand how Dorothea could confuse him for meat at the market."

"It's just an expression, Petra. An expression that, may I add, is rather inappropriate to use in reference to our professor, Dorothea."

"Oh come off it, Edie. I'm just trying to make our new addition feel a bit more welcome."

Edelgard, who had walked over to the crowd of students during the exchange, shot the brunette a hard stare while the latter just gave her fellow classmate her most disarming smile.

And cowering behind Edelgard was someone Byleth felt that he needed to apologize to.

Moving past the still chattering students, the blue-haired professor bent down and looked in the trembling eyes of Bernadetta Von Varley.

There was only one thing he could think to say.

"I'm s-"

_Thud!_

And the purplette passed out.

_This is going to be a long year._

* * *

**Class... Dismissed!**

* * *

**Yo, what's up? New story for another game that I really enjoyed. Just finished a Crimson Flower run of Three Houses. Expect simpage and blatant fan service throughout this entire story.**

**Male Byleth needs more simps.**


	2. 4/25-4/27

* * *

**Class… is in session!**

* * *

****27th of the Great Tree Moon, Year 1180-** Garreg Mach Monastery- Dining Hall- Noon**

Byleth was displeased.

His first week of professorship was moving along… less than optimally.

After carrying Bernadetta to the infirmary and finishing introductions, he took the class to the training grounds to get a grasp of their skills and put together individual training plans for each of them.

It was the most efficient way of gauging them, since he had to get them prepared for a big mock battle.

It went about as well as one could expect, considering the events of his first class meeting.

* * *

**Garreg Mach Monastery-Training Grounds- Noon several days before the previous noon(or… the current noon?)**

_“Caspar, what are you doing?”_

_“Fighting, professor.”_

_“No. No, you’re not.”_

_The young was... doing something with the training axe he’d been given, but the former mercenary would hesitate to call it fighting. How does one even miss against a stationary opponent?_

_“Dorothea, please stop aiming thunder strikes at Ferdinand, it was funny the first few times, but it’s now almost concerning. And Ferdinand, I know that you’re Ferdinand von Aegir, stop saying it when I call on you.”_

_He was ignored. That was most that he could remember speaking in years, and he was ignored._

_Ignoring the twitch in his eye, he turned toward two of the only people in his class that were doing what they were supposed to._

_“You’re doing great, Petra. Just bring your swings in a little bit and watch your steps. Edelgard, good work, but- wait, where’s Hubert and Lindhart?”_

He had wasted an entire afternoon trying to track down the former, while he had eventually found the latter napping in the Black Eagles’ classroom.

Which was strange, because he could’ve sworn that the boy had left with the class.

Hubert was inexplicably missing until dinner that night. After which, the boy tailed him and made a piss poor attempt at intimidating him.

_Where did he even go? Does he already know Warp or something? How did he do it without me noticing, though?_

Then add in the fact that Lady Rhea was acting… strange when he came to her chambers to hand in his (tentative) lesson plan.

* * *

**Garreg Mach Monastery-Archbishop’s Room- Late Morning**

_“Thank you, Professor.”_

_Byleth nodded, bowed, and made to make his exit before being stopped by the Archbishop._

_“Ah, Professor! Do you think you could stay for a while? I’d just like to go over some of these plans you have. If you’d like, I’ve also had some tea and snacks prepared. Oh, and please don’t mind the candles, it often gets rather dark in here.”_

_Byleth turned to see the light streaming in through the windows and then turned back to the smiling Archbishop._

_He shrugged and walked to the small candlelit table sitting in the only unlit corner of the room._

_He stood by a chair and waited for his employer to take a seat first._

_He wasn’t quite gifted in most social situations, but Jeralt had at least taught him how to present himself when dealing with an employer._

_Though he’d never quite gone over how to handle someone who was looking at him in the way that the Archbishop was._

_Her eyes were focused completely on him, despite the fact that his lesson plan, which they were meant to discuss, was sat on the table in front of her._

_“Please. Drink. This is one of my favorite blends.”_

_“Thank you, Archbishop.”_

_“Please, professor. Call me Rhea when we’re alone.”_

_That was reasonable enough. A number of his employers had asked him to refer to him by name rather than title, though that didn’t mean he could drop all formalities._

_“Of course, Lady Rhea.”_

_“No, no, no, Professor._ **_Just_ ** _Rhea.”_

_Well, that was certainly new. But he was a professional. He could roll with it._

_“Understood, Rhea.”_

_“...”_

_“Rhea…?”_

_“...Ehehehehe…”_

_That was incredibly strange laughter and Byleth, no matter how hard he tried, could not recall saying anything that could be considered funny._

_So he did the one thing that Jeralt taught him to do in a stalling social situation._

_Drink until the conversation picks up again._

_He plucked up his teacup, taking care to blow lightly on the still-steaming beverage inside, and took a nice long sip._

_“Hehehehehe… Ahem.”_

_Snap!_

_Byleth’s eyes darted around the room as several stringed instruments began to play, seemingly from nowhere._

_The tune they played was light and jaunty, rather appropriate for a tea time appointment._

_Though the problem wasn’t the tone and mood of the music, it was the fact that it was playing at all._

_He turned back to see how his employer was reacting. Only to find that she was not only seemingly unperturbed by this development but that she had, in the mere seconds that the mercenary professor had taken to scan the room, crossed the table and sat her chair right next to his._

_Her gaze was focused solely on the previously forgotten lesson plan, though her face seemed slightly flushed._

_“So Professor, how have you enjoyed your time at the monastery? I would hope that you’ve had enough time to take in a bit of what our facilities have to offer.”_

_Okay, so she really_ **_didn’t_ ** _care about the phantom music._

_Well, not like he could say much. He lived with an amnesiac, narcoleptic phantom girl that only he could see and hear… who could also stop and turn back time._

_Maybe supernatural occurrences were just normal at Garreg Mach. He could ask Jeralt about it later._

_“I’ve had a fine time here. Though, I feel that I hardly have enough time in a day to really explore.”_

_It was true. At most, he felt that he could only really do up to three things a day (not including running errands) before something compelled him to go back to his room._

_“Ah. Well, if you’d like, I could… show you around.”_

_“I couldn’t ask that of you, La-” he could see the matronly woman’s lips turn down, and quickly realized that he misspoke, “Ahem. Rhea.”_

_“Oh, please do. I’d be more than happy to assist you with…_ **_anything_ ** _...”_

_‘That was an odd inflection.’_

_But the thought was still nice, it was nicer than most people were to him._

_“Thank you, Rhea.”_

_“And I do mean_ **_anything_ ** _.”_

_“Um, okay…”_

_Rhea laid her hand on the young professor’s knee and looked him directly in the eye, inching ever so closely._

_“Anything.”_

_A voice that Byleth didn’t recognize suddenly spoke up._

_“No.”_

_‘No?’_

_“_ **_No_ ** _.”_

_He didn’t question the new voice that he was pretty sure only he could hear, judging from Rhea’s lack of reaction._

_It certainly sounded older than Sothis, and far sterner as well. Though it was also decidedly female._

_‘Why not?’_

_“You’re not ready for_ **_‘that’_ ** _. Not yet, and certainly_ **_not_ ** _with her. Make an excuse and get out of here now.”_

 _He had no idea what_ **_‘that’_ ** _was, but if the new, unexplained voice in his head was telling him that he wasn’t ready for it, he was oddly inclined to believe her._

_‘But what do I say?’_

_“Just say that you need to speak with Jeralt about something.”_

_‘Understood.’_

_SCREECH!_

_The chair scraped harshly against the floor as Byleth shot up from the table._

_Rhea, who was incredibly close to the young man’s face, used the abandoned chair to steady herself before she could completely fall over._

_“I need to speak with Jeralt.”_

_And he walked out of the Archbishop’s Room as fast he conceivably could without breaking into a run._

_And it was only hours later that he realized something._

_He never_ **_did_ ** _find out what ‘_ **_that_ ** _’ was._

* * *

So _that_ was a bit of a disaster.

Add in the fact that it seemed that only two of his students respected his authority.

One somehow managed to turn every conversation into a back-and-forth of entendre and innuendo, another liked to pick a fight with anything and everything bigger than him but _still_ sucked with his weapon of choice, one would rather spend his time sleeping rather than participating in class, the other made a pitiful attempt at threatening him, and the last was so terrified of him that she would rather skip class and barricade herself in her room.

Byleth had felt a myriad of new feelings and sensations, but what he was feeling that day had become all too common throughout that week.

Pure, unbridled frustration.

He had three days until the mock battle between the three houses, three days to get results and show Lady Rhea and Seteth that he knew what he was doing even if he didn’t, because he had no experience or training whatsoever in professional instruction. 

How would he get results? He didn’t know.

What happened if he didn’t get results? He didn’t want to know.

Why didn’t he just say ‘no’ to the position and join the Knights of Seiros? He. Had. No. Idea.

“Professor, are you alright?”

“Hm? Yes, I’m fine, Hanneman. Why?”

“Because you’ve been stabbing that one piece of meat for the past minute like it murdered your father, darling.”

“Must you be so blunt, Manuela?”

“There’s no reason to tiptoe around it, Hanneman.”

“One would think that the ‘Divine Songstress’ would understand the importance of tact.”

“And _what_ exactly is that supposed to mean, old man?”

Ah, that’s what he was doing. He had invited his fellow professors, Hanneman and Manuela out to lunch to thank them.

Manuela, for looking after Bernadetta after the poor girl fainted and giving him a _very_ thorough physical after his arrival. 

He thought it was nice, but for some reason, Sothis called it intrusive and exploitative of a boy with no common sense. He would’ve asked why she said that, but he doubted the answer would've been sensible or quick.

And Hanneman for helping him to understand his new range of emotions, along with his new crest.

He figured that he could ask both of them to the same meal and have it be a teacher bonding event (Rensie had a section on camaraderie between colleagues written in the book), but after watching them blow up at each other for the third time in as many minutes, he considered using Divine Pulse to go back and ask one to dinner instead.

Eventually, he tuned out his squabbling seniors and ended up ruminating on his lack of success in understanding what Sothis meant, learning what _that_ was, and most important of all, _educating his class_.

_STAB!_

“Professor!” 

He turned to his colleagues, who stared at him in shock. He raised an eyebrow.

“Professor... your hand.” 

What about his…? Oh.

In his anger, he had missed his savaged meal completely and impaled his hand, which was now bleeding profusely.

“Ow.”

* * *

**Class… Dismissed!**

* * *

**Extra Credit:**

As Byleth fled her quarters, Rhea leaned her elbow on the table and sighed.

“So close. You can stop now, you three.”

And the music stopped just as suddenly as it had begun, while a portion of the wall, a bit further down from the table of tea and sweets, open to reveal several people.

The first, a young man no older than fifteen with bronze skin and an earnest look in his eyes.

The second, an older fellow with wide shoulders and an amiable expression on his face.

The third, a pale woman with her lips pressed into a thin line.

And all three of them held a stringed instrument.

“Thank you all for your help. Please partake in some tea and snacks before you get back to your regular duties. Shamir and Alois, the blend is Crescent Moon. And Cyril, I set aside some Almyran Pine for you, just this way.”

The two adults set their instruments down and made their way to the candlelit table, Alois making some pun or another and Shamir sighing and ignoring.

Cyril excitedly put down his own instrument and bounded over to Rhea’s side, never noticing the look on his employer’s face.

Lady Rhea, Archbishop of the Church of Seiros… was pouting.

* * *

**Byleth Eisner- Professor**

**Sword: A**

**Lance: B+**

**Axe: B+**

**Bow: B**

**Brawling: A**

**Reason: C**

**Faith:E+**

**Authority:B+**

**Heavy Armor: E**

**Riding: B+**

**Flying: D**


	3. 4/27

* * *

**Class... is in session!**

* * *

**27th of the Great Tree Moon, Year 1180- Garreg Mach Monastery- Infirmary- Early Afternoon**

"So, is there any particular reason why you decided your hand needed four new holes in it?"

"..."

"Wanted to air it out? Get some blood flowing? Maybe you just wanted to see how deeply dinnerware could penetrate skin?"

"Jeralt, what are you doing?"

"Trying to figure out why my son's in the infirmary after stabbing himself in the hand with a fork."

"..."

" _Byleth_..."

"I missed."

"...You _what_?"

"I missed."

"You… missed?"

A nod.

" _You_ missed a completely stationary target, not even five inches away from you, and stabbed your hand, which was just to the side of your plate."

Another nod.

Jeralt stared blankly at his son, before unfastening and sliding off one of his gauntlets, quickly pressing the back of his bare hand to the seated professor's forehead and keeping it there.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking you for a fever."

"Why?"

"I've been training you since you were old enough to walk, in all that time you have never stabbed or cut yourself with any of the dangerous weapons that I've left around you."

"I've never caught a fever either."

"Better safe than sorry."

"I'm fine, Jeralt."

"No. No, you're not. Talk to me, Byleth. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Byleth…"

"..."

A clash of stares. One stern, the other blank.

The younger man eventually relented and looked to the side, face still blank.

Jeralt chuckled. "Aw, c'mon. Don't pout. Tell me what the problem is and I'll see if I can help you out."

"...?" Another blank stare, this time with the slight lift of an eyebrow.

"Yes, I promise not to laugh."

* * *

**Several Minutes Later…**

"Pft…"

Eyes narrowed, lips pressed into a thin line.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But you've gotta admit, it's pretty funny."

"..." Eyes narrower, lips pressed into a thinner line.

"C'mon son, you know that I don't mean anything by it. Listen, let's just talk this out."

A nod.

"Alright, so first thing, no. Paranormal activity is _not_ normal here, it's not really normal anywhere."

Okay, so he was going to have to keep his two spectral companions secret then.

Well, one spectral companion and one disembodied voice, but that's just splitting hairs.

"Next, _don't_ stay alone in a room with Rhea. Not until she and I have a talk, at least."

Byleth tilted his head slightly.

"I can't explain it now. But just indulge me for now. Okay?"

A slow nod.

"Alright, good. And lastly..."

"...?" The young man leaned forward in anticipation.

"Relax."

Byleth blinked before rolling one of his hands.

"That's it, nothing else. Relax. Stop worrying so much. You've always been smart, you'll figure something out."

"And if I don-"

"You will. I believe in you."

The knight captain laid his hand on his son's head, Byleth leaned into the touch.

They stayed like that for a moment.

No words were exchanged between the two and only the soft rustles of the tealette's hair echoed through the quiet infirmary.

The elder Eisner dropped his hand back to his side, turned around, and walked towards the exit, stopping when he reached the doorway.

"Now get going, I'm pretty sure that I heard Seteth asking Alois to watch over your class in your absence. They've likely been hit with pun salvo number ten by now, so try to make your entrance extra heroic."

And with that, he was gone and Byleth was left by himself.

He was less stressed than he was before, as was usually the case when he spoke to Jeralt, but he still had no idea about what he should do.

"I think I may be able to help with that, Professor."

Oh, he said that out loud.

"You did."

He really needed to learn to keep his thoughts to himself.

"You do."

"Sorry, Flayn."

"It's not your fault, Seteth does it too."

Byleth nodded towards the small, non-floating green-haired girl in the room who nodded back with a smile.

"So what are you doing here?"

"I heard my brother complaining to Lady Rhea that you stabbed yourself in the hand, and implying that you may very well be deranged."

"That's not nice."

"I'm sure he doesn't mean anything by it."

"Mm."

"So getting back to your problem…"

"Oh right." He'd almost forgotten.

"So you're having a hard time keeping your students under control and you're worried that they won't be ready for the mock battle?"

"How much of that conversation did you hear?"

"Unimportant."

"Are you sure? That sounds like a major invasion of my pri-"

" _Anyway_ , there's an easy solution to your problem."

Byleth abandoned what he was about to say in favor of looking the small girl directly in the eyes and awaiting further instruction.

Flayn awaited any further protest from the teacher, before realizing that he wouldn't be giving any.

"So, as I said, the solution to your problem is rather simple. Are you listening closely?"

The tealette nodded.

"Okay. So you had them all show you what they could do on the first day right?"

Nod.

"Did you offer them any specific direction after that?"

The professor shook his head, he hadn't really had the chance to. He was so busy trying to get Bernadetta to come to class and keep Caspar from hacking out one of his knees, that he didn't really have time. Not only that, but it didn't really seem like the rest of the class was interested in his instruction.

The only two people who came to him for any help in the Black Eagles were Edelgard and Petra and, even then, the former had stopped doing so after day two.

"Well, there you go."

"...?"

"Oh don't look at me like that, think for a moment. You don't have to micromanage every little part of their training, but you _should_ use a firmer hand during instruction."

"But won't that make them resent me? I'm only a year older than most of them."

"Yes, but you're _also_ in charge of them."

"But even so-"

"Why are you so averse to this?"

"..."

"Oh come on, none of that."

" _Watch out for that boy there. That there's the Ashen Demon. I've seen him cut down over twenty men before, all without a speck of emotion."_

"Professor."

" _I hope you do not mind if we treat you like you like one of us."_

"Professor.. _._ "

" _M-Monster! Get him away from me!"_

"Professor!"

Byleth blinked, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

"I suppose it's just that…"

" _In our class, we try to treat each other as equals, despite any differences in age or status."_

"That...?" Flayn rolled her hand as if to say 'go on'.

" _It must be hard for Jeralt. Byleth's a good kid, but still…"_

"I just want…"

"You want?"

" _Personally, I would love to include you in that inner circle."_

"I want to be… part of something."

"Part of something?"

"A group of- or maybe even just a pair of… allies? Or maybe-"

"Friends?"

"Yes."

"And I'm guessing that you feel like if you take too much of a leadership role, you'll lose the chance to get close to them all. Right?"

Byleth's silence said everything the girl needed to know.

Flayn put her hands together, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath in through her nose, holding it for a moment before letting out a nice long exhale out through her mouth.

She unlinked her fingers and walked over to the new teacher, sitting on the bed next to him and resting a hand on his shoulder while he stared down.

"Professor, I understand where you're coming from. I really do."

"..."

"But you're being silly."

Byleth stopped staring at the floor and looked at the small girl.

"How?"

"Because they need you. You're only a year older than a lot of them, but you've also had a lot more experience. Even if they don't _like_ having to listen to you, they'll do it. And even if they resent you for it, they'll understand once listening to you saves their lives. But you can't be afraid to lay down the law."

" _Help them utilize their strengths, teach them to overcome their weaknesses, and protect them as they reach for their dreams and ambitions. Though don't be afraid to lay down the law if needed. If you're soft-spoken, consider raising your voice occasionally."_

Byleth's eyes widened slightly.

Of course. He tried teaching them, but he was never all that willing to get up in their faces.

They were all talented in their own ways, but they also had their own issues and weaknesses. He was so worried about proving himself to Lady Rhea and Seteth that he completely overlooked the need to work around them.

He shot up from his seat, strode towards the door, before stopping and turning to the now smiling greenette.

"Thank you, Flayn."

"Any time, Professor. Oh! And by the way."

Byleth blinked.

"If you ever need to talk, I always have time for a friend."

The edges of the inspired professor's mouth twitched slightly before he nodded and made his way down the hall.

* * *

**Garreg Mach Monastery- Officer's Academy- Afternoon**

"-though those merchants, despite all the _buying and selling_ they do, are not very good at _trading_ blows."

An emphatic groan surged among the students.

Though Edelgard, ever courteous those around her, raised her hand.

"Excuse me, Alois."

The jovial knight stopped the set-up to his next 'joke' and turned towards the Imperial Princess.

"Yes, Edelgard?"

"Might I ask when the professor will be here? Surely his injury couldn't have been _too_ bad."

"Oh, he should be here any-"

_SLAM!_

The attention of everyone in the classroom, sans Lindhardt who had fallen asleep long before, snapped to the door.

Byleth lowered his foot and scanned the classroom.

_Everyone but Bernadetta in attendance. I can work with that._

He looked at the knight in the room and nodded, his own way of saying thanks without actually saying anything.

Alois made his way out with a laugh, patting Byleth on the shoulder as he passed the younger man.

With Alois gone, Byleth addressed his class with three words.

"Training Grounds, now."

* * *

**Class… Dismissed**

* * *

**Extra Credit:**

“Rhea.”

“Jeralt. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I’ve come for a talk.”

“Oh? Would you like to take a seat? I can have someone bring us some tea.”

“Think I’ll stand. I don’t intend for this to take long.”

“Suit yourself. So what’s so important that you would drag yourself all the way from the captain quarters to see me?”

“Stay away from my son.”

“To the point as always, I see.”

“This is no joke, Rhea.”

“I didn’t assume it was. That aside, no.”

“No?”

“No, I will not ‘stay away’ from my newest professor.”

“ _Rhea-_.”

“Is that all, Jeralt? I have a few more appointments to keep.”

“Don’t push me, Rhea.”

“Or what? What will you do, _Captain_? Start another fire? ‘Kill’ your child again?”

“He is _not_ that child. He was born long after Sitri-”

“ _Don’t_ lie to me, Jeralt Eisner.”

“The only person lying to you is you, Archbishop.”

“...”

“That’s all I have to say. Thank you for seeing me, Rhea.”

And with that, the knight captain made his exit, leaving the Archbishop alone in her audience chamber.


End file.
